Development of the Shahed and Geran series one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles

Shahed-136 and Geran-2 UAVs are commonly used against Ukraine, Israel and United States forces in the Middle East. Both Russia and Iran have developed their designs over time, creating a multitude of variants. Recent events within the conflicts of Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Iran, have shown several instances of newer Shahed and Geran UAVs being deployed.

The Shahed-136 is closely-related to the smaller Shahed-131. It is believed that the former is proportionally 50% larger than the latter, with many components scaled to achieve this. The Shahed-136 is also known as Murad-6 in Iraq, and as the Wa'aed-1 or -2 by the Houthi rebel group, although it is currently unclear what the difference is between these two variants. Other Iranian variants are the Shahed-136B and Shahed-238, the first bearing no resemblance to the original design, while the second is very closely related, albeit with a turbojet engine.

Shahed-136B	Shahed-238

The Shahed-238 was first seen in November 2023, with three reported seeker options: electro-optical Infrared (EOIR); active radar; and anti-radiation. There appears to have been minor changes to the design over time, with the first known combat use in June 2025, when one crashed in Iraq. An Iranian document relating to Russian purchasing of UAV designs from February 2024 referred to an M 237, which appears almost identical to the Shahed-238. Russia has since deployed the Geran-3, a copy of the Shahed-238, in Ukraine.

Little is currently known about the Geran-3, other than the assumptions made in relation to previous variants, however several recent events have confirmed its existence. A Geran-3, or a Shahed-238, was first reported in January 2024 by Ukraine, but this was never confirmed and a location was not provided. Since then, attacks in June and July 2025 have shown an increase in its use.

The Geran-2 has been one of Russia’s most commonly used OWA-UAVs in Ukraine, and will likely continue as such, even with introduction of the Geran-3. It is commonly seen painted black, with this change from the original white occurring in November 2023. The delta-wing design is highly recognisable, however internally there may be up to eight different warheads fitted, varying in mass, shape, explosive fill, fragmentation sleeves and shaped charge liners.

A further variant that was also in the leaked document from February 2024 referred to a UAV designated MS 236, incorporating an electro-optical infrared (EOIR) seeker. The MS 236 is now known to be deployed in Ukraine.

Geran 2	MS 236	Geran 3